Eutectic Composition Design,Microstructure, and Room Temperature Mechanical Property of NiAl-Cr-Ta Three-Phase Alloy

In this paper, NiAl-33Cr-4.5Ta (at. pct) near-eutectic alloy consisting of NiAl, α-Cr and Laves is successfully designed by JMatPro software and verified by experiments. TEM result reveals that it exists an orientation relationship between each two phases. Directionally solidified (DS) alloy has a well-aligned microstructure and possesses a fracture toughness (9.8 MPa·m^1/2). Moreover, the DS alloy has a tensile ductility (1.4 pct) at room temperature. Fracture behavior is analyzed by the crack propagation and fracture surface.

Graphical Abstract

     

Characterization of Nanoscale Mn/Fe-Rich Intermetallic B2-NiAl in Ultra-Low Carbon Bainitic Steel with Super-High Strength

An ultra-low carbon bainitic steel is developed through nanoprecipitation of high-density Mn/Fe-rich intermetallic B2-NiAl. A high yield strength of ~ 1.3 GPa and a good total elongation of ~ 13 pct are attained via minimal lattice misfit nanoprecipitation. Atom probe tomography and high-resolution transmission electron microscope were applied to characterize nanoscale precipitates. An increment of 544 MPa in yield strength is achieved after an aging process, predominantly attributed to the order strengthening mechanism.

     

Solidification of Highly Undercooled Hypereutectic Ni-Ni3B Alloy Melt

The solidification of undercooled Ni-4.5 wt pct B alloy melt was investigated by using the glass fluxing technique. The alloy melt was undercooled up to ΔT _p ~ 245 K (245 °C), where a mixture of α-Ni dendrite, Ni₃B dendrite, rod eutectic, and precipitates was obtained. If ΔT _p < 175 K ± 10 K (175 °C ± 10 °C), the solidification pathway was found as primary transformation and eutectic transformation (L → Ni₃B and L → Ni/Ni₃B); if ΔT _p ≥ 175 K ± 10 K (175 °C ± 10 °C), the pathway was found as metastable eutectic transformation, metastable phase decomposition, and residual liquid solidification (L → Ni/Ni₂₃B₆, Ni₂₃B₆ → Ni/Ni₃B, and L_r → Ni/Ni₃B). A high-speed video system was adopted to observe the solidification front of each transformation. It showed that for residual liquid solidification, the solidification front velocity is the same magnitude as that for eutectic transformation, but is an order of magnitude larger than for metastable eutectic transformation, which confirms the reaction as L_r → Ni/Ni₃B; it also showed that this velocity decreases with increasing ΔT _r, which can be explained by reduction of the residual liquid fraction and decrease of Ni₂₃B₆ decomposition rate.     

Effect of Compositional Variation on the Microstructural Evolution and the Castability of Al–Mg–Si Ternary Alloys

This study examined the microstructural evolution and castability of Al–Mg–Si ternary alloys with varying Si contents. Al–6Mg–xSi alloys (where x = 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7; all compositions in mass pct) were examined, with Al–6 mass pct Mg as a base alloy. The results showed that in the ternary alloys with Si ≤ 3 pct, the solidification process ended with the formation of eutectic α-Al–Mg₂Si phases generated by a univariant reaction. However, in the case of ternary alloys with Si > 3 pct, solidification was completed with the formation of α-Al–Mg₂Si–Si ternary eutectic phases generated by a three-phase invariant reaction. In addition to the eutectic Mg₂Si phases, the primary Mg₂Si phases formed in each of the ternary alloys, and the size of both sets of phases increased with increasing Si content. The two-phase eutectic α-Al–Mg₂Si nucleated from the primary Mg₂Si phases. The inoculated Al–6Mg–1Si alloy had the smallest grain size. Moreover, the grain-refining efficacy of the Al–5Ti–B master alloy in the ternary alloys decreased with increasing Si content in the alloys. Despite the poisoning effect of Si on the potency of TiB₂ compounds in the inoculated Al–6Mg–1Si alloy, the grain size of the alloy was slightly smaller than that of the Al–6Mg binary alloy. This resulted from the increasing growth restriction factor (induced by Si addition) of the Al–6Mg–1Si alloy. In terms of the castability, the examined alloys showed different levels of susceptibility to hot tearing. Among the alloys, the ternary Al–6Mg–5Si alloy exhibited the highest susceptibility to hot tearing, whereas the Al–6Mg–7Si exhibited the lowest. The severity of hot tearing initiated by the unraveling of the bifilm was determined by the freezing range, grain size, and the amount of eutectic phases at the end of the solidification process.

     

Phase Selection in Undercooled Ni-3.3 Wt Pct B Alloy Melt

The change of eutectic solidification mode in undercooled Ni-3.3 wt pct B melt was studied by fluxing and cyclic superheating. The eutectic structure is mainly controlled by the undercooling for eutectic solidification, ΔT ₂, instead of ΔT ₁, the undercooling for primary solidification. At a small ?T ₂ [e.g., 56 K (56 °C)], the stable eutectic reaction (L → Ni₃B + Ni) occurs and the eutectic morphology consists of lamellar and anomalous eutectic; whereas at a larger ?T ₂ [≥140 K (140 °C)], the metastable eutectic reaction (L → Ni₂₃B₆ + Ni) occurs and the eutectic morphology consists of matrix, network boundary, and two kinds of dot phases. Further analysis declares that the regularly distributed dot phases with larger size come from the metastable eutectic transformation and are identified as α-Ni structure, whereas the irregularly distributed ones with smaller size are a product of the metastable decomposition and tend to have a similar structure to α-Ni as it grows. Calculation of the classical nucleation theory shows that the competitive nucleation between Ni₂₃B₆ and Ni₃B leads to a critical undercooling, ΔT ₂ ^* [125 K < ΔT ₂ ^* < 157 K (125 °C < ?T ₂ ^* < 157 °C)], for the metastable/stable eutectic formation.     

High Strength and Thermal Stability of Multilayered Cu/Al Composites Fabricated Through Accumulative Roll Bonding and Cryorolling

Multilayered Cu/Al composites with high strength and thermal stability were successfully fabricated by combining accumulative roll bonding (ARB) and cryorolling. The microstructure, tensile properties, and thermal stability of the multilayered Cu/Al composites subjected to cold rolling and cryorolling were analysed. Subsequent cryorolling can be used to modify interfacial flatness and local necking, induce the formation of high-density stacking faults in the Cu matrix, and enhance interfacial bonding strength, which improves the mechanical properties of ARB composites. The initial lamellar structure is gradually transformed into serious mixing with an increase in annealing temperature, accompanied by the formation of excessive Cu–Al intermetallic compounds (IMCs). Cryorolled samples exhibited higher thermal stability than cold-rolled samples. At low annealing temperature, high-density stacking faults induced by cryorolling facilitated the transition from low-angle grain boundaries to high-angle grain boundaries, which led to the formation of ultra-fine grains. For the samples annealed at high temperatures, cryorolling led to the effective inhibition of Cu–Al IMC formation and growth due to the genetic effect of less heat input.

Graphical Abstract

     

Synthesis and Characterization of an Fe/Co Ferrite Spinel Oxide Film Produced by Using N2/Steam Heat Treatment on Two Maraging Steels

An experimental procedure was developed to obtain an oxide layer formed mainly by spinel on maraging steels. It consists of different stages with specific conditions, such as atmospheres rich in nitrogen and water vapor, and different steps of temperatures and times. Tests were performed on grade 300 and 350 maraging steels. Oxide layer characterization was done using optical and electron microscopy, spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and nanoscratch tests in order to determine the adhesion force as well as to observe the main deformation mechanism induced under sliding tests. In both steels, oxide layers are formed by the spinel’s Fe₃O₄ and CoFe₂O₄ in amounts close to ca. 85 pct, whereas TiO₂ and MoO₃ represent the other 15 pct. No hematite was found. The low oxygen availability during the heat treatment was fundamental for avoiding hematite formation. A nickel-rich austenitic phase formed at the metal-oxide interface due the kinetics of the oxidation process of the cobalt, iron, and molybdenum. The particular conditions of the heat treatments induced the formation of a mixture of iron, nickel, and cobalt spinel ferrites, thereby contradicting previous studies that said that only magnetite would be formed. The sliding tests at the nanometric length scale highlight that the layer formed on maraging 300 grade presents a better adhesion than the other investigated material due to the fact that it requires more load in order to induce cracks located at the edge of the sliding track and, subsequently, the chipping of the formed layer.

Graphical abstract

     

Dendritic growth of undercooled nickel-tin: Part II

High-speed optical temperature measurements were made of the solidification behavior of levitated metal samples within a transparent glass medium. Two undercooled Ni-Sn alloys were examined, one a hypoeutectic alloy and the other of eutectic composition. Recalescence times for the 9 mm diameter samples studied decreased with increasing undercooling from the order of 1.0 second at 50 K under-cooling to less than 10⁻³ second for undercoolings greater than 200 K. Both alloys recalesced smoothly to a maximum recalescence temperature at which the solid was at or near its equilibrium composition and equilibrium weight fraction. For the samples of hypoeutectic alloy that recalesced above the eutectic temperature, a second nucleation event occurred on cooling to the eutectic temperature. For samples which recalesced only to the eutectic temperature, no subsequent nucleation event was observed on cooling. It is inferred in this latter case that both the α and β phases were present at the end of recalescence. The thermal data obtained suggest a solidification model involving (1) dendrites of very fine structure growing into the melt at temperatures near the bulk undercooling temperature, (2) thickening of dendrite arms with rapid recalescence, and (3) continued, much slower recalescence accompanying dendrite ripening.     

Phase Selection and Microstructure Evolution in Nonequilibrium Solidification of Fe40Ni40B20 Alloy

Phase selection and microstructure evolution in nonequilibrium solidification of ternary eutectic Fe₄₀Ni₄₀B₂₀ alloy have been studied. It is shown that γ-(Fe, Ni) and (Fe, Ni)₃B prevail in all the as-solidified samples. No metastable phase has been found in the deeply undercooled samples. This is explained as resulting from the size effect of undercooled solidification. At small and medium undercoolings, the dendrite γ-(Fe, Ni) appears as the leading phase. This is ascribed to the existence of the skewed coupled growth zone in FeNiB alloy. With increasing undercooling, the amount of dendrites first increases and then decreases, accompanied by a transition from regular eutectic to anomalous eutectic. The formation mechanisms of the anomalous eutectics are discussed. Two kinds of microstructure refinement are found with increasing undercooling in a natural or water cooling condition. However, for melts with the same undercooling, the as-solidified microstructure refines first, and then coarsens with an increasing cooling rate. The experimental results show that the nanostructure eutectic cell has been obtained in the case of Ga-In alloy bath cooling with an initial melt undercooling of approximately 50 K (50 °C).     

Size Effects on the Mechanical Responses and Deformation Mechanisms of AZ31 Mg Foils

An integrated experimental and microstructure-based simulation research was carried out to study the effect of thickness and grain size on the mechanical response and deformation mechanism of AZ31 Mg foils. Equal channel angle pressing (ECAP) and subsequent annealing were applied to fabricate the billets with tailored microstructures. Ex situ micro-tensile tests of the foils were conducted to explore the meso-scale size effect. The experimental results show that the flow stress, ductility, and microstructure evolution of the foils are significantly affected by both grain size and thickness. With the increase of grain number (λ) in thickness, the flow stress curve changes from convex-up to a typical sigmoidal shape, and the extension twinning is remarkably suppressed. Full-field crystal plasticity simulations successfully captured the micromechanical interaction between dislocation slip and twinning. Specifically, the decrease of λ enhances the dominance of extension twinning on the mechanical response and ductility of the foils and further intensifies the interaction of deformation twinning on slip resistance. As a measurement for describing the combined effect of grain size and geometrical size, λ is a critical factor affecting the interaction and competition between dislocation slip and deformation twinning.

     

Solidification of undercooled molten Ni-based alloys

The effect of undercooling on grain structure is investigated in pure nickel, Ni₇₅Cu₂₅, and DD3 singlecrystal superalloy by employing the method of molten salt denucleating combined with thermal cycling. Meanwhile, a comparison of factors that may be related to structure formation is performed and the difference in the refined structure between Ni₇₅Cu₂₅ alloy and DD3 single-crystal superalloy is explained. Only one grain refinement occurs at the critical undercooling in pure nickel, whereas two take place at both low and high undercoolings in Ni₇₅Cu₂₅ and DD3 single-crystal superalloy melts. The first grain refinement at low undercoolings mainly originates from dendrite remelting driven by the chemical superheating produced in recalescence, and the second one at high undercoolings is due to the recrystallization process as a result of the high stress provided in the rapid solidification after high undercooling. Dislocation morphology evolution in as-solidified structure is also provided by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique to further verify the recrystallization mechanism.     

Fatigue behaviour of Ni3Al(B) alloys at room temperature

The high cycle fatigue behaviour of high boron polycrystalline Ni₃Al alloys is studied. A single phase Ni₃Al alloy with a mole fraction of 0.6% B and a Ni₃Al alloy containing a mole fraction of 1.0% B with a small amount of the boride eutectic at the grain boundaries are selected for investigation. High cycle fatigue tests at room temperature with R (minimum stress/maximum stress) 0.1 are conducted in air and at 30 Hz. The results show that the Ni₃Al(0.6% B) alloy is better than the Ni₃Al(1.0% B) alloy in the fatigue resistance, although, the latter is much higher than the former in static strengths. The fatigue fracture surfaces are observed by SEM.     

Nonequilibrium Solidification Behavior of Co-Si Alloys Near the First Eutectic Point

Adopting a fluxing purification and cyclic superheating technique, Co-10 wt pct Si and Co-15 wt pct Si alloys had been undercooled to realize rapid solidification in this work. It was investigated that the solidification modes and microstructures of Co-Si alloys were deeply influenced by the undercooling of the melts. Both alloys solidified with a near-equilibrium mode in a low undercooling range; the peritectic reaction occurred between the primary phase and the remnant liquids, and it was followed by the eutectic reaction and eutectoid transformation. With the increase of undercooling, both alloys solidified with a nonequilibrium mode, and the peritectic reaction was restrained. As was analyzed, a metastable Co₃Si phase was found in Co-10 wt pct Si alloy when a critical undercooling was achieved.     

Effects of Undercooling and Cooling Rate on Peritectic Phase Crystallization Within Ni-Zr Alloy Melt

The liquid Ni-16.75 at. pct Zr peritectic alloy was substantially undercooled and containerlessly solidified by an electromagnetic levitator and a drop tube. The dependence of the peritectic solidification mode on undercooling was established based on the results of the solidified microstructures, crystal growth velocity, as well as X-ray diffraction patterns. Below a critical undercooling of 124 K, the primary Ni₇Zr₂ phase preferentially nucleates and grows from the undercooled liquid, which is followed by a peritectic reaction of Ni₇Zr₂+L → Ni₅Zr. The corresponding microstructure is composed of the Ni₇Zr₂ dendrites, peritectic Ni₅Zr phase, and inter-dendritic eutectic. Nevertheless, once the liquid undercooling exceeds the critical undercooling, the peritectic Ni₅Zr phase directly precipitates from this undercooled liquid. However, a negligible amount of residual Ni₇Zr₂ phase still appears in the microstructure, indicating that nucleation and growth of the Ni₇Zr₂ phase are not completely suppressed. The micromechanical property of the peritectic Ni₅Zr phase in terms of the Vickers microhardness is enhanced, which is ascribed to the transition of the peritectic solidification mode. To suppress the formation of the primary phase completely, this alloy was also containerlessly solidified in free fall experiments. Typical peritectic solidified microstructure forms in large droplets, while only the peritectic Ni₅Zr phase appears in smaller droplets, which gives an indication that the peritectic Ni₅Zr phase directly precipitates from the undercooled liquid by completely suppressing the growth of the primary Ni₇Zr₂ phase and the peritectic reaction due to the combined effects of the large undercooling and high cooling rate.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of a 2000 MPa Co-free maraging steel after aging at 753 K

The precipitation kinetics at the aging temperature of 753 K in a 2000 MPa grade Co-free maraging steel (Fe-18.9Ni-4.1Mo-1.9Ti, wt pct) has been studied. Under the peak-aged condition at 753 K, Ni₃Ti precipitates of moderate size were uniformly distributed in the martensite matrix, leading to optimal combination of strength (2000 MPa of yield strength) and fracture toughness (70 MPa ). The ultra-high strength of the maraging steel subjected to long time aging at 753 K is attributed to the high resistance to coarsening of precipitates. The orientation relationship between martensite and Ni₃Ti was observed as and . The Orowan mechanism is the dominant strengthening mechanism.     

Structural characteristics of flame-sprayed Fe-Ni-B alloy coatings

Conclusions Flame-sprayed Fe₄₀Ni₄₀B₂₀ alloy coatings have a mainly amorphous structure with a small amount of fine, 0.5- to 1-m.crystalline inclusions. The crystalline phases are (Fe, Ni)₃B and Fe_x Ni₂₃-_xB₆. The structure of the precipitated crystalline inclusions in the amorphous matrix is not related to that of the eutectic of the starting alloy powder used for spraying. In the direction from the base to the free surface the coating structure varies: The volume concentration of the crystalline phases changes, which is reflected in the emission of secondary ions of the main components of the deposited alloy.Translated from Poroshkovaya Metallurgiya, No. 11(299), pp. 22–25, November, 1987.     

Effect of solidification cooling rate on the morphology and number per unit volume of primary Mg<Subscript>2</Subscript>Si particles in a hypereutectic Al-Mg-Si alloy

Growth morphology and number per unit volume have been determined vs withdrawal velocity V over the range 0.1 to 4 mm/s for primary Mg₂Si in a Bridgman-solidified hypereutectic Al-Mg-Si alloy. Primary Mg₂Si shows a transition from irregular or regular polyhedral to dendritic with increasing V, and increases with solidification cooling rate according to the relationship . These results are compared with corresponding ones for Al-Mg-Si alloy wedge castings and for primary silicon in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys.     

Interaction of deformation twin and 120 deg-rotational order fault domain boundary in the lamellar structure of two-phase TiAl-based alloys

Interactions between deformation twin and 120 deg-rotational domain boundary were studied by transmission electron microscopy in a two-phase TiAl-based alloy with fully lamellar structure deformed at room temperature. Three types of the interaction were observed, depending on the interaction geometry and crystallography faced by the incident twinning Shockleys. It was found that the incident twinning shear could be accommodated into the barrier domain by a reaction involving emission of 1/2 {111} _B slip in all the three types of interactions presumably since the slip required a small critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) and was always favored by the pile-up stress. Several reaction schemes involving 1/2 {111} _B slip for each type of the interactions were proposed by considering whether the reaction resulted in a reduced elastic energy and if the dissociated dislocations were able to glide away to minimize the total elastic energy associated with a long-range stress field of a pileup of the incident twinning partials. It is suggested that whether a reaction scheme is feasible would depend on behavior of other product dislocation except 1/2 {111} _B .